Michigan penalized, no postseason play

Michigan acted on its best intentions as soon as it got a hint of booster Ed Martin's involvement with its basketball program, according to an NCAA report released Thursday.

Trouble is, the damage already had been done.

In the wake of the largest financial scandal in NCAA history, which included cash payouts of $616,000 to four prominent players in the last decade, the university suffered severe sanctions--including the loss of one scholarship a year for four years starting in 2004-05, a postseason ban for the 2003-04 season and 3 1/2 years of probation.

"The reputation of the university, the student-athletes and the coach as a result of the basketball team's accomplishments from 1992 through 1998 were a sham," said Thomas Yeager, chairman of the NCAA's investigating committee.

What made the NCAA infractions worse, according to the NCAA report, was who was on the receiving end.

"These payments were made to some of the most prominent men's basketball student-athletes of the era," the report said.